How to Write Hyperlinks in Web Articles
I am not sure how I should write hyperlinks within a post. So I searched the web and found these very useful:
- Link - A section of Web Style Guide, 2nd Edition.
- Write links that don’t have to be followed - an online article on how to write easy-to-follow hyperlinks.
- Alterbox series - web usability expert Jakob Nielsen’s series on writing for the web.
These are the guidelines I found.
Do not use “click here”
People tend to scan rather than read a web article. Scanning a lot of “click here” gives them no clue on the content. So they will leave. For those who print out articles to read, “click here” is meaningless.
- Poor: Click here for more information. [No information]
- Worse: Click here to search in Google. [Both links point to the same site, annoying]
Write first, link after
Web Style Guide suggests writing as usual, and do the links afterwards, like this:
- Avoid problems with Web links by managing their placement within the context of your document.
Tell reader what the link is about
GoodDocuments.com suggests information about links be provided. Its examples:
- Good: Our conclusion is that the stock is up because of an unusually high beta, not because of earnings growth. [Information provided]
- Better: The Acme Company (www.acmeco.com) announced its improved results. [Which link to which is clear]
Provide addresses if easy to type
This is my opinion. I like printing out articles to read. In that case hyperlinks cannot be followed. Therefore we should provided link addresses for print-out. The on-line edition of Web Style Guide does a very good job on this. Both its on line and print versions are equally readable.
Of course the address provided should be easy to type, like www.yahoo.com, or the reader will not border to follow it. There is no need to provide addresses like this: http://www2.discuss.com.hk/viewthread.php?tid=5797820.
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